The place where the Northern Lakes Economic Development Corporation will post anything that is related to community based economic development and business. We will be sure not to forget about the other aspects that make our region irresistible and will be covering other topics like tourism, community events, and rural development. Saskatchewan is a great place to be right now, and the NLEDC is ready to jump in and get a piece of this economic action.

Monday, April 30, 2012

$HOP AT HOME MEMBERSHIP

$hop at Home was created to remind consumers that
independent businesses in our region offer a fresh, local alternative to global
chain stores and big box stores.

Studies show that for every $100 you spend locally, $48
stays in your community!When you
shop at a big box or chain store, only $13 returns to your community.Here are some great reasons to $hop at
Home:

· * local business owners contribute more to local
fundraising

· * local businesses employ local residents

· * local businesses support other local businesses

· * the business community is reflective of its
community’s culture (they will stock the products you need)

· * tax money spent locally is used for local
infra-structure and facilities

· * shopping at home reduces your carbon footprint

In the Northern Lakes region you
will soon notice retailers, restaurants and service providers with the $hop at
Home decal displayed on their counter.Participating businesses will honor a discount card that can be
purchased for $5 through Northern Lakes Economic Development Corp.Your discount card entitles you to a 2%
savings on your purchase at these local businesses (some restrictions may apply).If you don’t see the decal, be sure to ask – start saving
money in your hometown!

If you think the purchasing power
you have does not affect your home town, let’s look at an example for one
product:gasoline.If you fill your tank (on average over
vehicles per family) twice per week and for purposes of easy math, let us say
it costs you $65 per tank.That
means you buy 104 tanks of gas per year for a total of $6760 per year.If you are filling your tank outside
your home community 25 percent of the time, you are costing your local filling
station $1690 per year.Let’s say
that 500 people in a community of 5000 (surrounding rural included) decide to
focus their gasoline purchases exclusively in their hometown for one year.Those 500 people would be ensuring a
combined total of $845,000 stays in their own community in one year by
shifting the purchasing pattern for a single product! That makes a difference.

The benefits of shopping locally
are not only realized through increased sales for the retailers – the benefits
are shared by all of us when our pooled efforts result in a significant shift
in the allocation of our purchasing power.Simply put, the more people choose to Shop at Home, the
stronger our business community will be and the more those businesses will give
back to our community in all the areas listed at the beginning of this article.